1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns apparatus enabling a handicapped person to transport himself or herself between various facilities of a room, e.g., to each of the toilet, shower, and sink of a bathroom.
2. Description of the Related Art
A number of devices are known for transporting a handicapped person into and out of a bath. Even though it is well known that handicapped persons like to be as independent as possible, most such devices are designed to be operated by another person. See, for example, U.S. Pats. No. 1,076,808 (Arburg); 2,187,283 (Scheutz); 3,104,399 (Dalton); 3,413,662 (Stayton); 4,606,082 (Kuhiman); and 4,928,330 (Moore). In general, the devices of the cited patents have a seat which is pivotably suspended from a support such as a vertical post, and the seat can be raised to carry a seated person over the edge of a tub and then lowered into the tub.
A number of devices are known that enable a person who is sitting in a wheelchair to be lifted into and out of a vehicle. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,515,294 (Southward et al.) which shows a wheel chair that can be "raised and lowered in relation to the vehicle and swivelled out from, or into, or back into the vehicle while supporting a person" (col. 1, lines 33-35).
Some devices of the above-cited patents require an expensive, permanent installation, and if it later became necessary to remove the device, it would be expensive to return the installation area to its original condition.